The Price of love
by The Red eyed Darkness Angel
Summary: Rewrote this story...I have also edited a bit of the story itself...Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Sweet Love

He was in heaven. It was night but yet was he was in heaven. Takato felt as if he were the luckiest person on the face of the earth. Takato hugged Jeri close, feeling her comforting heat. They were on a date, supposedly stargazing, but Takato couldn't care for the stars, his eyes were always trained on her. She was his angel from heaven, his light in the darkness, his everything…

Time had passed quickly for them and both their appearances had changed. Her auburn hair had grown longer that it flowed over her shoulders elegantly. Her warm almond coloured eyes had a perpetual sheen and she never failed to have her soft smile on her face.

Takato sighed dreamily, it was pure bliss for him to simply be with her like this. She rested her head on his shoulder, a contented smile on her face. Takato pulled her closer and rested his head on her head.

It was a cloudless night and the stars were bright. A single moonbeam fell upon their forms, making Jeri seem all the more beautiful to him. It was then that a shooting star streaked across the sky…

"Isn't it beautiful…I wish Leomon were here to see this…"she whispered.

He knew exactly what was on her mind, he hadn't left it ever since he faded away from life. It was her partner, Leomon, who had been murdered five years ago in their adventures to the digital world…Though it is said that time heals wounds best, this wound of hers, however, hadn't healed enough for her…

"Indeed it is…"he replied, "but to me, you're more beautiful." His voice trailed off softly at the end.

Jeri sat up, her soft almond eyes sparkling in the dark. He stared into those gorgeous brown orbs, certain that he had seen her blush as she stared back at him, however, it was too dark to be a hundred percent sure.

"Takato…" she whispered softly, almost inaudible, even in that golden silence. Unconsciously, she stroked his cheek. He felt a tingle shoot up his spine as she caressed his face with her hand. It was a soft touch, yet through it, Takato was able to feel all her emotions for him.

She shifted closer to him, her warm, soft breath upon his cheek. He felt his face burn as she shifted even closer to him. He felt his heart pump into overdrive as their lips pressed against each others.

He felt her cup his face with her hands as he ran his fingers through her long auburn hair. It was unlike any of their previous kisses, it was more passionate. He bit down on her lower lip, and a gasp escaped her lips. Takato slipped his tongue inside her mouth and entwined it with her own. He was able to make out the faint sweetness of vanilla.

Their French kiss lasted for what seemed like a blissful eternity to Takato. It was as if time had stopped for them with all their worries evaporated. However, they had to break for air after a good amount of kissing.

They broke apart, breathing hard, a happy smile upon both their faces. He had to say it now, she would accept it. If he didn't say what he needed to then, he would never find another time as good as it was then.

"Jeri…" he said, breathing hard.

"Yes, Takato?" she asked, her warm breath coming out in short bursts.

He summoned up his courage and said, "I…I…I love you, Jeri…" He cursed himself silently, he had stuttered! There was no way now that she would accept his confession.

However, she smiled sweetly and replied, "I know, I love you too, Takato, I always have…" Maybe she would…thought Takato, grinning broadly.

Overcome by an unexplainable courage, Takato wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again. He shut his eyes and savored it. He breathed in her sweet aroma, his fingers going through her soft hair again and again.

They lost track of time as they kissed under the moonlight. It was at that perfect moment that his phone chose to ring. They broke apart again. He took a moment to catch his breath before answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Takato?"It was his mother, talk about bad timing.

"Yes, Mom?" he asked wearily.

"Takato, dear, why aren't you home it's getting late, Mr Kato might start to think that…that…that the two of you were…"

"Mom!! We were not!"

"I know honey, I trust you, but remember to bring her back soon, it's getting late."

"Yes mom. Bye."

As he clicked off, he cursed her silently. He couldn't believe it! She had completely ruined that precious moment which he shared with Jeri. It was the most unromantic way to end the most romantic moment in his life. He sighed and glanced at his watch.

The numbers 12:30 stood out in the dark. He sighed again. He supposed it was getting late…With that he got up and took Jeri back. He drove her all the way to her doorstep, not taking a chance with his precious angel.

As they arrived at her doorstep, they stepped out of the car and stopped before her door. There was an awkward silence as he grinned sheepishly at her while she turned her head away coyly, a blush on her face.

Jeri turned to face him and broke the silence and said in a soft voice, "Thanks Takato, tonight was great…especially when we…"her voice trailed off and turned away again, turning a bright red.

"I…er…um…er…Ahem. You're welcome Jeri." He replied. He had stuttered again! She was definitely going to think that he was a fool now…There was no way that she wouldn't…

She giggled at him, which he had expected. He looked away and turned a bright scarlet that rivaled the hue of a ripe tomato.

"Takato…" came her voice. Takato reluctantly turned to face her, afraid that she would think that he was a fool. However, she did the most unexpected thing at that point in time, she kissed him again. She wrapped her arms around him and leapt at him with such force that he struggled to keep his balance. The passion which she kissed him with swept him surprised him so much that he gasped.

He relaxed into the kiss and shut his eyes He savored every moment of that special kiss. However, we were interrupted once more, this time by Jeri's father who chose to open the door as they were kissing.

He put down the two empty milk bottles at the door and said to them, "Carry on, don't mind me…" He grinned and winked at Takato.

Takato glanced at Jeri awkwardly. He felt his face burning, partly because her father had caught them kissing.

"Um…I think I should go in…I'll see you tomorrow in the park at 12p.m, ok?" asked Jeri.

Takato nodded and bade her farewell. She waved goodbye at him and opened the door. After she had taken her first step inside the house, she dashed back out and kissed him briefly, then dashed back in.

Takato stood there stunned, taking a whole full minute to recover. He left for home happily and once he reached, he collapsed on his bed, a grin still upon his face, his mind constantly thinking of his angel, Jeri…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Double Trouble

Takato awoke to the soft chirping sound of the birds outside his window. He squinted in the bright sunlight streaming in through the window. He lay in bed for a minute or two to clear his sluggish mind. A slow smile crept to his face as he recalled his night with his angel. How they had shared that perfect moment…

His next thought was that he had another date with her that day. He turned his head to check the clock by his bed side. The numbers 11a.m seemed to mock him as the realization that he only had an hour left to prepare for his date with Jeri.

He sprang out of bed and made a dash to the bathroom and showered to freshened himself up, as well as to get rid of the stench he had acquired over the night. He dried himself and changed into a simple dark blue T-shirt with a pair of jeans and dashed off to the park. Not, however, before pausing a moment to grab a fragrant piece of freshly baked bread and his wallet.

He wolfed down his bread as he dashed out of the house, praying that he wouldn't be late for his date. He sprinted through town as time ticked on. Finally he slid to a stop in front of their meeting point, the fountain. He caught his breath and glanced at his watch, it read 11.45 a.m. He had made it. He sighed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto a bench by the fountain and waited patiently for Jeri to arrive.

However, he wasn't alone for long before he saw a lone figure in the distance. He could tell at once that it was a girl, one whom he guessed was about the same age as he was. She was a stunning figure, her red hair cascaded over her shoulders, as if a stream of fire was coming from her. In her violet eyes, Takato saw inexplicable pain and suffering. The girls shoulder was hunched, a black cloak draped over her curvy frame, her face written in anger and sadness. Every inch of the girls face was etched with the fury of emotions inside her and the tormenting she had endured.

Takato recognized this girl immediately; it was none other than his good friend Rika Nonaka. However, the fierce fire in her eyes had been extinguished and replaced with watery sorrow. Rika looked up and seemed to notice him. She walked towards him and smiled weakly. She waved and said something, but Takato didn't hear it. Something had just struck him. He hadn't seen Rika in almost a year and she had changed so much.

It wasn't until he received a punch on the shoulder till he snapped out of his trance. He felt the sharp pain as Rikas knuckle connected with his shoulder.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, "What was that for?" he demanded.

"That was for not greeting me back, googlehead…" she replied simply.

Same old Rika, lashing out at anyone for the smallest possible thing. Even though they haven't seen each other in a year, she hadn't changed a bit in terms of her character, she was still as fiery as ever…But what was that other Rika he had seen walking alone just now?

"So…Rika, How are you?"

Takato watched as her frame stiffened and her eyes narrow. She averted her eyes and replied softly, "Nothing…"

I placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "No, Rika. I know you. Something's bugging you. What's wrong?"

She sighed and brought her head to face me. The sad Rika had taken over her again, she had merely been putting up a strong front in front of him…

She looked into his brown eyes with her sorrowful violet ones and replied, "I…It's just that…" then she lowered her head and stopped again.

"It's just that what?" he inquired, "What's wrong, it's ok, you can tell me."

"Takato…Things have just been going so wrong, the people in my life are fading away, disappearing from my life…First, my only other kin other than my mother is gone, my grandmother…she died of cardiac arrest…Then Ryo cheats on me…"

Ryo? Cheat on Rika? How could he? Takato clenched his knuckles. He understood why Rika was so upset now. He knew that she loved him more than anything else in this world. He was her everything, her reason for living…

"And…"continued Rika, "and…and now…I…you…"

Takato furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What is it Rika?"

"I…I have something to confess…" Rika said in a voice which was a little more than a whisper.

"What is it? I'll lend you a listening ear."

"I…I used to have a crush on you in the past…but…I couldn't tell you…Because Jeri, my best friend…beat me to your heart…I never gave up on you…until got together with Ryo…I was happy with him…but now…he's left me…and you were always so kind to me…even now…"

This sudden confession by Rika caught him off guard, he never expected her to have feelings for him. What surprised him more was that Rikas hand was on his cheek, caressing it. This was a side of her he had never seen before. As Takato looked into her eyes, he saw a need, a longing…It was a passion so strong that it scared him.

Rika moved closer to him, so close that he could smell her warm, spicy scent. He straightened and felt his face burn. This was completely unexpected! It was almost too much to take in. A sudden confession from Rika that she had a crush on him and now this!

Rikas eyes were shut and she was moving ever closer. He couldn't do this! If Jeri saw him doing this, she would probably die of heartbreak. Yet, he was unable to move, he was rooted to the spot, unable to do anything but wait for the inevitable kiss.

But it never came. Rika broke away as they both heard a gasp of surprise. Takato felt his heart racing. He slowly brought himself to face the source of the gasp, the person who had "saved" him.

As he saw who it was. His racing heart stopped dead. It was his angel, Jeri. Jeri looked as if she had just been shot multiple times. Her eyes glistened with tears and shook her head in disbelief. Takato prayed that this wasn't happening, but it was. Fresh hot tears streamed from her eyes as she shook her head in disbelief, staring from himself to Rika. Takato tried to open his mouth to explain but found that he couldn't. His heart was heavy with guilt, his throat had gone dry and as he tried to speak, no words came out.

She turned around and ran. Her tears stained the pavement of the park. The tears of an angel.

Takato ran after her. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't. He had no idea where Jeri was headed as he chased after her, but he could be certain of at least one thing. That it was away from him. It could be anywhere, as long as he wasn't there. Gods…what had he done?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Tales of broken hearts

She dashed away from her cruel killer. He had killed her, simply by letting her see him like that. She sobbed violently as she ran. She had no destination in mind, so long as it was away from him…Jeri felt her red hot tears fall from her already tear stained face. How could he do this to her? He was the one and only person she could fully trust, the one and only person who knew her completely, the one person she could feel safe with…And now…he had betrayed her, he had taken her heart and crushed it into thousands of pieces. What made it worse for her was that it wasn't just any other girl he was going out with, it had to be her best friend, even though she knew how much she loved him.

As she ran, thousands of questions ran through her mind. How long had they been together? Had he planned all this out before it happened? Was all those times they had been together…had he merely been playing with her feelings? There were too many painful questions which brought back painful memories and she had no answers to them. She shut her eyes and ran on, crying her heart out. Her tears fell on the parks pavement, staining it, creating a trail of breadcrumbs for Takato…

She couldn't understand it…why? Why had he been so cruel to her? Why did he have to betray her? As if in response to herself, a darker part of herself replied, "Why shouldn't he dump you for Rika? She's in every way better than you are, more beautiful, more talented…Why would he want you?" She shut her eyes tighter and screamed inside herself, "No, no, no, no, no! Stop it!" "Stop it." Mocked the dark side of herself, "Listen to yourself, you're so weak! How can he even like you?" "Stop!" she yelled, verbally this time, collapsing onto the hard asphalt, sobbing violently.

She opened her eyes to the cruel reality and saw where she was. She was at the door of Guilmons old hideout. She shut her eyes and stepped inside. She couldn't take it anymore. This reminder of him brought forth hundreds of fond memories, each bringing a new string of tears. Jeri stepped inside the cool darkness. She cast her eyes around the room, it was as messy as she had remembered it was five years ago. As her eyes shifted over a corner in the dark room, she caught the glint of something reflecting off the faint light that came into the room. She stooped down to see what it was. It was a jagged piece of broken glass. She reached out for the piece of glass but withdrew her hand when it pricked her finger. A small drop of crimson blood came out from the wound.

As she stared at the drop of blood, a thought crept into her mind. He had taken away her only reason for living, why else should she live on? She reached once more for the glass and picked it up, ignoring the fresh blood that was drawn from the new wounds she had attained from picking out the glass. She held it to her chest, awaiting the right time for her to sink it into her heart. That would be when he came in after her. He was hot on her trail, there was no doubt about that, and when he found her, he would find her in the act of plunging the glass shard into her heart.

However, she felt a strong force knock the glass shard out of her hands. She snapped out of her daze and looked up at the offending person, and found it to be him…

He huffed as he dashed through the park. He cursed himself silently for letting her down like that. He had lost sight of her, but he followed her faint trail of tears, each embedded with inexplicable sorrow. He followed the trail into Guilmons old hideout, why was she here? He entered the dimly lit room and saw her standing there, a jagged piece of glass was in her hands, hovering over her chest. She didn't seem to notice that he was there.

Takato needed no second guess to know what she was going to do. Threads of blood streamed from her hand as she clutched the glass. He took a great swing, and knocked the sharp glass out of her hands and sent it flying. Jeri snapped out of her daze and looked daggers at him.

"What are you trying to do?" exclaimed Takato.

"What do you think you heartless adamant. Why do you do this to me?"

"I can explain, just listen…"

"Lies! I hate you! You lied to me!"

"No! Please, listen to me…"

"What for? Do you deny that you were going to kiss her?"

Takato remained silent. She was right, he was going to kiss her, but not because he wanted to, but because he had been too terrified to move…

"I thought so…" she sobbed and dashed past him.

He turned around and called out to her, "Jeri! Wait!"

But she didn't…He didn't expect her to…He chased after her again through the park. She seemed to tire, yet she didn't stop. He was worried, she was tiring very quickly, her breath came in short bursts, she slowed down greatly.

They emerged from the park. The asphalt road stretched across it. Jeri had dashed across it but had not noticed the oncoming car. It sped towards her, like a bullet train, an uncontrollable bull, on its track to decapitate her.

The car beeped its horn and attempted to break in time, but it was still coming in too fast. However, the cars beeping caught her attention and she stopped dead in the middle of the road. Fear flooded her eyes as she saw the oncoming car.

He couldn't lose her, not now, not ever! Time seemed to slow for him. He did the only thing left available to him, he leaped, the very air seeming to hold him back. He pushed her away from the road brusquely, getting her out of harms way. She landed on the pavement, a shocked look on her face. He landed on the asphalt hard, with his lower torso still on the road.

Less than a millisecond later, he felt a sharp pain shoot up his legs as the oncoming car ran over them. His blood splattered onto the asphalt, staining it red. He heard Jeri scream as she saw his crushed blood stained legs. He rolled onto his back, panting. The pain was excruciating, he felt the crimson red liquid staining his clothes a cruel red colour.

He saw Jeris concerned face looking over him, her face matted with fresh tears. He watched as she cried bitterly apologizing over and over again. He attempted to smile reassuringly without grimacing with pain but failed, making her cry even more.

"This is my entire fault…" moaned Jeri, her face full of tears.

Takato shook his head and replied in a croaky voice, "No…It's not your fault…And besides I'm…" he cringed as another wave of pain shot up his leg, "I'm fine…" However, this didn't comfort her at all, it only made her cry even more.

He felt his vision blurring, his hearing became impaired as he watched Jeri scream something, yet he couldn't hear anything. His vision turned black and he faded into the unconscious with this one thought…Jeri…


End file.
